Shoe sole insert

ABSTRACT

A shoe sole insert includes an upper member and a lower member, and a number of cells formed between the upper member and the lower member, the upper member includes an elastic pad and a pattern layer and a flexible envelope secured together, the lower member also includes an elastic pad and a pattern layer and a flexible envelope secured together, and the members each includes a number of recesses and depressions and receptacles aligned with each other, to form the cells of the shoe sole insert, and to increase elasticity and resilience for the shoe sole insert. The envelopes are transparent or semi-transparent, to allow patterns of the pattern layers to be seen through the envelopes.

The present invention is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/364,384, filed 12 Feb. 2003, pending, and to be abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a midsole or a shoe sole insert for footwear, and more particularly to a shoe sole insert having a shock absorbing effect and having an elastic portion prevented from aging and wear.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various kinds of typical sports shoes have been developed and provided for jogging, running or other sport purposes, and comprise two basic requirements. The principal task of the shoe is to help or to facilitate running and to allow runners to move easily. The other task of the shoe is to protect the feet from running exertion, so that runners' optimum performance may be preserved or maintained in races. In addition, in a consumer's point of view, longer life of a shoe sole is preferred. To achieve the aforementioned functions, many different shoe soles have been developed.

Suitable or required resilience of shoe soles can be obtained in many different ways. For example, a traditional shoe sole is made of foamable materials for providing a suitable elasticity, and a rubber layer is combined with the foamable material for protecting the foamable material. However the rubber layer can only protect the bottom portion of the foamable material. The surroundings of the foamable are not protected. Therefore the foamable material exposes to sunlight and moisture directly. That causes the foamable material aged and worn quickly. Besides, for the purpose of running or other sports with heavy duties, the elasticity provided by the foamable material of the traditional shoe sole structure is not enough.

Another traditional shoe sole includes an air cushion structure. However, the cost of air cushioned shoe sole is high and the procedure of manufacturing is complicated. In addition, sometimes, unnecessary deformations may take place in the shoe soles of air cushion structure. Accordingly a shoe sole with sufficient and proper elasticity as well as long life and comparatively low cost of manufacture is needed.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,851 to Miller discloses one of the typical boat shoes including a series of openings formed therein, through which water escapes from inside the shoe. However, the openings are simply formed within the shoe portion by such as molding or mold injection processes, and thus may not have patterns formed around the openings or within the shoe portion. Normally, the shoe portion is formed by foaming or foamable materials by hot-pressing processes, such that it will be difficult to form or to apply patterns or colors onto the shoe portion.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,931 to Vermeulen discloses another typical shock absorbing system for footwear application, and comprising a membrane disposed within an envelope, and having cells and receptacles formed therein, for forming a shoe absorbing structure. However, similarly, the membrane and the envelope are also formed by foaming or foamable materials by hot-pressing processes, such that it will also be difficult to form or to apply patterns or colors onto the membrane and the envelope.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional shoe soles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a shoe sole insert including a shock absorbing effect and including an elastic portion prevented from aging and wear.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a shoe sole insert comprising an upper member and a lower member, and a number of cells formed between the upper member and the lower member, the upper member includes a lower portion having a first elastic pad attached thereto, and the first elastic pad includes a number of recesses formed therein, a first pattern layer is attached to the lower portion of the first elastic pad of the upper member and includes a number of depressions formed therein corresponding in shape to the recesses of the first elastic pad of the upper member respectively, and a first envelope is attached to the first pattern layer and includes a number of receptacles formed therein corresponding in shape to the recesses of the first elastic pad and to the depressions of the first pattern layer of the upper member respectively, the lower member includes an upper portion having a second elastic pad attached thereto, and the second elastic pad includes a number of recesses formed therein, a second pattern layer is attached to the upper portion of the second elastic pad of the upper member and includes a number of depressions formed therein corresponding in shape to the recesses of the second elastic pad of the lower member respectively, and a second envelope is attached to the second pattern layer and includes a number of receptacles formed therein corresponding in shape to the recesses of the second elastic pad and to the depressions of the second pattern layer of the lower member respectively, the receptacles of the first and the second envelopes are aligned with each other, and the first and the second envelopes includes interconnecting portions engaged with each other and secured together, to form the cells of the shoe sole insert, and to increase elasticity and resilience for the shoe sole insert, and the first and the second envelopes are made of transparent materials, to allow patterns of the first and the second pattern layers to be seen through the first and the second envelopes.

The cells of the shoe sole insert include open ends, and the shoe sole insert further includes a number of plugs engaged into the open ends of the cells of the shoe sole insert. The plugs each includes a threaded connecting portion provided therein, for engaging into the open ends of the cells of the shoe sole insert.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a shoe having a shoe sole insert in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the shoe sole insert, taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 6 is a partial exploded view showing plugs for plugging into open ends of grooves of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view illustrating a further arrangement of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view illustrating another arrangement of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view illustrating a still further arrangement of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view illustrating a still further arrangement of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 12 a partial exploded view illustrating a further embodiment of the shoe sole insert;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view illustrating a still further embodiment of the shoe sole insert; and

FIG. 14 a partial exploded view illustrating the shoe sole insert as shown in FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-5, a midsole or a shoe sole insert 10 in accordance with the present invention is provided for attaching to bottom of a shoe 1, and is arranged to be engaged or disposed between an outsole 11 and an insole 12 or a shoe front 13, for forming and for providing a shock absorbing effect to the shoe 1, and the midsole or shoe sole insert 10 is suitably shielded or protected between the outsole 11 and the insole 12 or the shoe front 13, and prevented from exposing to sunlight and air directly, and thus prevented from aging and wear.

The midsole or shoe sole insert 10 comprises a number of cells 14 formed between an upper member 20 and a lower member 30 each of which includes an elastic pad 21, 31 having a number of curved recesses 22, 32, such as semi-circular or semi-cylindrical recesses 22, 32 formed therein, such as formed in the lower portion 23 of the elastic pad 21 and/or of the upper member 20 and in the upper portion 33 of the elastic pad 31 and/or of the lower member 30 respectively. The elastic pads 21, 31 may be made of foamable materials, rubber materials, synthetic materials, or the like.

Two pattern layers 40 are attached to or secured to the upper member 20 and the lower member 30 respectively, and located at the lower portion 23 of the elastic pad 21 and/or of the upper member 20 and at the upper portion 33 of the elastic pad 31 and/or of the lower member 30 respectively, and each carries a number of depressions 41 which correspond in shape, design and size to the recesses 22, 32 of the upper member 20 and the lower member 30 respectively. The pattern layers 40 include various patterns and/or colors applied thereon.

Two flexible envelopes 50 are attached to or secured to the pattern layers 40 respectively, and located at the lower portion 23 of the elastic pad 21 and/or of the upper member 20 and at the upper portion 33 of the elastic pad 31 and/or of the lower member 30 respectively, and each carries a number of receptacles 51 which also correspond in shape, design and size to the recesses 22, 32 of the upper member 20 and the lower member 30 and to the depressions 41 of the pattern layers 40 respectively.

It is preferable that the receptacles 51 of the flexible envelopes 50 and/or the depressions 41 of the pattern layers 40 and/or the recesses 22, 32 of the upper member 20 and the lower member 30 are aligned with each other respectively, and the flexible envelopes 50 include interconnecting portions 52 engaged with each other or coupled or secured together, to form the cells 14 of the midsole or shoe sole insert 10 which preferably include a circular or cylindrical shape.

The formation or the provision of the cells 14 in the shoe sole insert 10 may greatly increase the elasticity or the resilience of the shoe sole insert 10. The flexible envelopes 50 are preferably made of transparent, or semi-transparent, waterproof and wear resisting materials, to allow the patterns and/or colors of the pattern layers 40 to be seen through the transparent or semi-transparent flexible envelopes 50. The typical shoe soles fail to provide a pattern layer 40 between a flexible envelope 50 and an outer member 20, 30, and the flexible envelope 50 be transparent or semi-transparent to allow the patterns and/or colors of the pattern layers 40 to be seen through the flexible envelopes 50.

The midsole or shoe sole insert 10 may be manufactured with molding, mold injection, or similar processes, and with mold devices. One example of the method for manufacturing the midsole or shoe sole insert 10 has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,385 to Wang, which may thus be taken as a reference for the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable that the cells 14 of the shoe sole insert 10 are open-ended, and the shoe sole insert 10 further includes a number of plugs 60 each having a threaded connecting portion 61 formed or provided therein, for threading or engaging into the open ends of the cells 14 of the shoe sole insert 10, in order to enclose and to shield the cells 14 of the shoe sole insert 10, and thus to prevent sands or rocks from engaging into the cells 14 of the shoe sole insert 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cells 14 of the shoe sole insert 10 may only be disposed or placed in the rear portion of the shoe sole insert 10, or may only be disposed or placed in the front portion of the shoe sole insert 10 as shown in FIG. 8. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the receptacles 51 of the flexible envelopes 50 and the depressions 41 of the pattern layers 40 and the recesses 22, 32 of the upper member 20 and the lower member 30 may be offset from each other. Further alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, without the lower member 30, the upper member 20 may be directly attached or secured onto the outsole 11, so as to form semi-circular or semi-cylindrical cells 14 for the shoe sole insert 10.

As shown in FIG. 11, the receptacles 51 of the flexible envelopes 50 and the depressions 41 of the pattern layers 40 and the recesses 22, 32 of the upper member 20 and the lower member 30, and the cells 14 of the shoe sole insert 10 may be formed into other shapes, such as square or rectangular shape, and may also be formed into close ended as shown in FIG. 12. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, without the pattern layers 40, the upper member 20 and the lower member 30 may include various patterns and/or colors 53 formed on the flexible envelopes 50.

Accordingly, the shoe sole insert in accordance with the present invention includes a shock absorbing effect and includes an elastic portion prevented from aging and wear, and includes a pattern layer disposed between a flexible envelope and an outer member, to allow the patterns and/or colors of the pattern layers to be seen through the flexible envelopes.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A shoe sole insert comprising: an upper member and a lower member, and a plurality of cells formed between said upper member and said lower member, said upper member including a lower portion having a first elastic pad attached thereto, and said first elastic pad including a plurality of recesses formed therein, a first pattern layer attached to said lower portion of said first elastic pad of said upper member and including a plurality of depressions formed therein corresponding in shape to said recesses of said first elastic pad of said upper member respectively and including a pattern applied thereon, and a first envelope attached to said first pattern layer and including a plurality of receptacles formed therein corresponding in shape to said recesses of said first elastic pad and to said depressions of said first pattern layer of said upper member respectively and attached to said first pattern layer, said lower member including an upper portion having a second elastic pad attached thereto, and said second elastic pad including a plurality of recesses formed therein, a second pattern layer attached to said upper portion of said second elastic pad of said lower member and including a plurality of depressions formed therein corresponding in shape to said recesses of said second elastic pad of said lower member respectively and including a pattern applied thereon, and a second envelope attached to said second pattern layer and including a plurality of receptacles formed therein corresponding in shape to said recesses of said second elastic pad and to said depressions of said second pattern layer of said lower member respectively and attached to said second pattern layer, said receptacles of said first and said second envelopes being aligned with each other, and said first and said second envelopes including interconnecting portions engaged with each other and secured together, to form said cells of said shoe sole insert, and to increase elasticity and resilience for said shoe sole insert, and said first and said second envelopes being made of transparent materials, to allow patterns of said first and said second pattern layers to be seen through said first and said second envelopes.
 2. The shoe sole insert as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cells of said shoe sole insert include open ends, and said shoe sole insert further includes a plurality of plugs engaged into said open ends of said cells of said shoe sole insert.
 3. The shoe sole insert as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plugs each includes a threaded connecting portion provided therein, for engaging into said open ends of said cells of said shoe sole insert. 